[Zenon]

As part of an overhaul on the BBC, Grandstand will be phased out. In recent years segments such as Football Focus have broken away into their own programmes, even the recent Winter Olympics and Commonwealth Games did not have the Grandstand banner. Shame to see it go but I think like Arsenal moving away from Highbury soon, it will turn out to be a wise move.

[Quincy]

all they have on it is like curling and horseracing.

most people watch soccer saturday

[fish heads]

I watch Saturday Kitchen that I have taped from that morning

[IrishBaz]

I think its a bit of a shame but realistically noone ever watches the small sports on the programme

[fish heads]

Clearly they do or they wouldn't show them as it wouldn't be economically viable

[MK Chris]

I do, I much prefer watching minority sports (not just table tennis) to the richer sports like football.

[Dickie]

Rather than just dumping it I would have quite liked to see Grandstand upgraded with a new look, still had life in it imo.

[unclejoesmintballs]

they problem with bbc sport at the moment is that at the end of every tite sequence you get that shite graphic the say bbc sport the whats ever the sport is you know why not have indipendant things at the end like a supper snooker graphic like they had in the old days

[Quincy]

what?

[MC]

Who cares, it's only a name.

Put Score on BBC One, can't watch Soccer Saturday when I'm at uni.

[goodmorning87]

i can see bbc going out all out to the get 5.15 or midday premiership football package now..or maybe i am just reading too much into it

[fish heads]

You are reading too much into it

[Quincy]

bbc cant afford to pay that much for football. too many people will moan about them wasting the licence fee on it. i hope they never get liver premiership football the commentary teams they have are dire.

[donnie]

the new european ruling means sky will no longer be able to have a monopoly on live premiership football so as from 2007 there will be live games shown on bbc/itv/channel 5.

[seanbhoy]

Doesn't mean it will be on terestrial TV though, another Satellite company can buy the rights - for example NTL/Setanta.

I have heard that Sky are thinking of buying all six packages again and then selling of their least favourite one to another bidder!

[goodmorning87]

sky cant buy all of them!
and even phone companies/ computer media companies or wateva the term is can bid for them
imagaine a phone getting the rights, that would be really daft!

[Dickie]

The whole deal of buying games is just ridiculous now anyway, i hate the fact that on a saturday at 3pm there are only abut 5 games on, its terrible. Plus the games that are spread across the weekend are the important games that affect each other, so teams go into games all the time now knowing exactly where the result leaves them, imo is much better when you get to 5 o'clock on a saturday and the table can spring up some real suprises.

Saturdays are far better when teams that are all involved are playing at the same time and not knowing results of the other teams around them.

The good old days were when you had 8 games on a saturday, 1 on sunday afternoon, and one on monday night. That was enough schedule changing for me.

[donnie]

i thought there were 5 packages of 28 games each with any single broadcaster being able to buy a maximum of 4. sky will probably go for 4 leaving itv and bbc to fight over the other i cant see ntl outbidding them.

[Mafro]

Soccer Saturday pwns!!!!

[unclejoesmintballs]

didnt the beeb get a rolockin for not bidding for the fotty this time round, i think the govoment is getting fustrated with the obvious drain on resourses

[Dickie]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4953846.stm

[Mafro]

God forbid ITV get the rights. Their Champions League coverage is diabolical, especially the 47 ad breaks before the matches and during half time. Gabby Logan is awful too, knows bugger all and is just there to look pretty.

[matt_32510]

I wouldn't say she looks pretty either.

[Mafro]

She's got a hooked nose.